Treat yourself! Thats my motto, which I'm sure my husband would happily verify. This month I treated myself to a new navy velvet sofa from John Lewis. I've been obsessing over one for a while, and thought it was time to bite the bullet. One of things which always puts me off buying a new large piece of furniture is the hassle of measuring up to ensure it fits. I'm always reminded of the time I bought a dining table on ebay which didn't fit through the kitchen doorway. It turns out I only measured the front door... whoopsie! Since then, I follow the three simple rules to ensure every item fits.

Heres my guide for measuring up for that big furniture piece:

STEP 1: Measure the height (A) and width (B) of all doors and hallways, entry ways, stairs and lifts.

STEP 2 : Make a note of the measurements; width (W), depth (D), and height (H). Check if the legs can come off, and take into account for packaging. You won't want to drag a new sofa in on its side without packaging. If a sofa has a diagonal depth (DD) which will determine if the piece can be bought through tighter doorways at an angle.

STEP 3: The width of the entryway (B) must be bigger than at least one of the following: the piece's depth (D), diagonal depth (DD) or height (H)

If the entryway clearance (C) is bigger than the piece's width (W), then you can move it in horizontally.

If the entryway clearance (C) is less than the piece's width (W), then you will need to attempt to move it in vertically, meaning that the entryway height (A) must be bigger than the piece's width (W).

Caution—the piece will not fit into your home if either of these instances holds true:

The piece's width (W) exceeds both the entryway clearance (C) and height (A).

If entryway width (B) is less than all three of these measurements: the piece's depth (D), diagonal depth (DD) and height (H).

And thats it folks. Happy sofa hunting and measuring up! I hope this guide helps.